As many of you will already know, Jacob is the son of Guernsey FC’s performance coach, and while Colin is affectionately known as ‘Big Fal’, given Jacob’s height it hardly seems appropriate to give him any matching diminutive nicknames! His imposing stature is a welcome addition to our back line.

Jacob has been back in the island for a little while now but had to hold on until January 15^th for his first match back with the squad. Prior to that, at training he told Harry Jones, “The first few training sessions with the boys have been really enjoyable. It’s been good getting back into it. Obviously the first three or four games have been cancelled so it’s been a bit of a wait for the first game, but it’s looking good for Saturday, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

It’s fair to say he made a big impression, initially not for the right reasons! “The first ten minutes were a bit rash and flat out as it’s my first game back in a couple of months,” he explained. “Obviously giving away a penalty’s not ideal but it’s part of the game so I just did everything I could to get us back into the game after that.

“When that ball came in perfectly lined up for a diving header, I was just making sure I got a clean connection on it, and it just ended up in the back of the net. I knew if I missed that, it would have been a nightmare!”

Speaking about how the team has developed since he last played with them, Jacob felt, “They’re definitely a lot better, and showing a lot more fight and character. I’d probably say last time I played we would have maybe thrown that away and ended up with no points. We did well at the end under a bit of pressure to keep ourselves in the game and earn a point.”

He also shared his thoughts on his own development while away playing and studying in America: “I had a bit more responsibility over there as I was one of the older players, so I was taking on more of a leadership role. I think in those terms I’ve matured a lot.”

Jacob is thoroughly enjoying being back in the GFC fold: “I love playing here with Vance and Sharmo and obviously the old man’s here so there’s always a lot of banter. It’s always fun.

“I want to keep playing football as long as I can, and Guernsey FC provides a good platform for that. As for my aims, individually it’s about just getting back into the team, getting a good run of games going and hopefully keeping my place. And for the team, to start putting some good performances and results together and climbing up the table.”

Welcome back Jacob!